Arlington National Cemetery Research Paper

The United States has paid a lot of respect to the soldiers that have fought in the military. Our nation has countless cemeteries that honor our soldiers that have fought and/or died in the military. Our nation has 135 national cemeteries and 33 soldier monuments in 40 states. Although there are numberless military cemeteries, the most famous is Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington National Cemetery is located in Virginia and faces the nation's capital Washington, D.C. There are rows upon rows of white headstones that greatly honor the people that earned the right to rest in peace in Arlington. Arlington now is peaceful, quiet, and a place to see in remembrance of people that are buried there. Although it was not always a peaceful place,
The history of Arlington National Cemetery dates back to the 1700’s to our first president. George Washington married widow Martha Dandridge Custis (Ashabranner 22).Martha’s first husband was Daniel Parke Custis, they had four kids together but sadly only two lived. Soon after George and Martha
After George Washington Parke Custis grew up, he inherited the 1,100 acres, he built a mansion in 1802 (Ashabranner 23). A little while later, after the mansion was built George Washington Parke Custis married Mary Lee Fitzhugh. Together they had a baby girl and named her Mary Anna Randolph Custis (Ashabranner 26). On June 30, 1831 Mary Custis married Robert E Lee. Together the Lees lived in the Arlington house for the next 30 years with Mary’s parents. Robert E Lee loved the house, which overlooked Washington, D.C. He said “Anyone with half an eye could see it” (Ashabranner 28). Lee was an army officer who led United States troops for many years. In 1857 Mary Custis’s dad died and he left the Arlington House to her and Robert. Mary could not keep care of the house so the house started to fall apart. Lee had seen that this was happening so he took and left the army for a little bit and went and worked on the house (ashabranner 28). When Lincoln was elected president in 1860 rumors of the Civil war were beginning. There were seven states seceded from the Union and Confederacy, which approved slavery (ashabranner 28). Lee walked for a day trying to figure out what he wanted to do about the war.